Little Girls
by blubelle
Summary: Dropped:: It's 8 years in the future and the VenturiMacdonald family celebrates a very interesting Christmas. Fights, discoveries, a little bit of Christmas cheer, and one very pregnant Casey. Dasey. I don't own anything.
1. 1

**This fandom is amazing! I'm just now breaking into it and I'm so glad there's been so much exposure to this show… cause well it's just great.**

**--I love a pregnant Casey, and since everyone else seems to be doing such a great job figuring out any and all circumstances in which the two (i.e. Derek and Casey) could possibly get together, I'm gonna skip that part. Although, I may go into that later.**

**Please enjoy and let me know what you think. This is merely a taste, and the chapters will get longer.**

The small two-bedroom apartment was dark, incredibly dark. The television set had been on mute for nearly an hour, dirty dishes still soaking among its own grime in the contrastingly white porcelain sink. The only ounce of light that permeated the entirety of the apartment came from the few rays that escaped beneath the door at the end of the hall.

"I don't deserve this, no, I don't need this, especially right now," the very pregnant young woman spoke angrily as she stomped through the hallway to the door at the end. She tore through the door, holding her aching back as she did so. She quickly rifled through the tiny closet in the corner and grabbed a small frilly suitcase. Swiftly, she moved over to the purple and pink dresser to start mashing clothes into it.

"Mommy?" Her little girl looked up inquisitively as she spoke. She was seated neatly, her dolls encircling her spot on the floor. "Are we going?"

Casey stopped throwing clothes into the suitcase for a moment to look at the three-year old. "Sweetie, grab a few toys, we're going to Grandpa and Grandma's house," Casey stated firmly but lacking in harshness, not wanting to scare the young girl. Casey hastily zipped the small suitcase up and moved as quickly as she could to grab her daughter. Her knees cracked as she bent down toward the girl's open arms, two dolls in her upraised hands. "Good girl," Casey said, righting her stiff body and moving toward the door. She looked up at her destination only to stop in her tracks.

Derek stood, leaning his body against the doorframe in mock composure. "Casey, do not do this," he said in that usual tone that indicated that he was aggravated; lacking in contractions, pace slowed at the end. His manner of speech, especially when angry, truly hadn't changed since he was a teenager.

"Oh, now you want to be the rational one? That's funny, now get out of my way, we're leaving," Casey said vehemently as she pushed passed Derek and started down the still dark hallway.

Derek followed her on her way toward the front door, unsure of what he really should do at this point. Which was odd, considering that Derek rarely didn't an answer for a situation. Also, this wasn't the first time his wife was set on her rampage and leaving home. "Are you serious Casey?" Derek asked, approaching her as quickly as he could. He stopped abruptly when Casey turned on him sharply, her still long, now layered hair whipping around. She glared at him warily.

"Well, are you saying that you want me to stay? That you're sorry?"

Derek scoffed at the very idea. "Of course I'm not, you should be apologizing to-" Derek's train of thought needed more manpower -or perhaps he had too much and that was his problem- because he was at a loss for words when his wife and child continued to move rapidly toward the front door of their apartment.

Casey almost let a low growl escape her lips as she reached for the handle of the door.

"Why do you have to take An with you?" Derek reached out to touch his daughter's outreached hand. Casey looked over her shoulder to see her daughter holding her hand out to Derek. She turned quickly to break the solemn connection. She patted her near crying daughter on the back while she glared at her husband.

"Consider it punishment. Good-bye Derek," Casey said indignantly while hitching her daughter's little crying body farther up her hip. She gathered their things once again and left as swiftly as her sore and swollen legs would take her.

Derek let out a sigh as he watched Casey go, stuffing his hands in his pockets and closing his eyes hard in an attempt to comprehend what had just happened. What was it that made this fight so different from the rest? Should he go after her, suck it up and say sorry? No, that wasn't an option. Why does she have to be so stubborn? Derek's thoughts clouded his mind, only making him angrier at the fact that he couldn't think as clearly as he wished.

After a few moments, Derek finally opened his eyes to the still unclosed door before him. Reaching out, he slapped at the door making it slam with the force of his rage.

"I need a beer."

………

Across town, Casey fumbled with her keys, juggling her sniffling daughter and their bags. She huffed, not being able to find the key she was looking for. Finally, she gave up and reached for the knob finding it completely unlocked. Most people would be happy at the fact that they didn't have to continue fumbling in the cold for keys that may or may not be there, but Casey, she was different.

She angrily shoved her way through the door. Horrified at what a waste of time attempting to unlock the door had been. She threw the bags into the house, brushing snow off her daughter's jacket as they entered.

Nothing much had changed as far as the layout of the Venturi-Macdonald household. George and Nora obviously made a concerted effort to maintain that homey feeling because all of the furniture had remained in the same place over the years. Despite Derek's unsuccessful attempts at stealing his favorite chair for himself, they knew their children silently appreciated their home staying intact.

"What a night. Let's get something to eat. Are you hungry, sweetie?" Casey looked down at her daughter and smiled. The moment she walked into her old home she felt at ease. She let out a long slow breath, letting all the stress-inducing events from earlier wash away. Her night had suddenly gotten so much better.

"Casey?" Casey looked from the doorway into the living room. "Casey, what are you doing here?" Marti asked. Her tone was just slightly angry, mostly because she already knew the answer, but also because she had a date over.

Casey looked to Marti, then at her date seated next to her on the couch. She shifted her daughter to her other, less aching hip before speaking, "Sorry Marti, I don't mean to interrupt your date- oh, who's this, I've never met him," Casey said. Right away, there was something about this boy that got Casey's attention. She walked toward the couch excitedly and extended her hand to the boy. Marti batted the offered hand away and stood up.

"Casey, this is Travis. Travis, Casey," Marti said through a sigh. She made it apparently clear that she wanted Casey to move on and let them have their privacy.

The two exchanged 'nice to meet you's' quickly and a little awkwardly. Casey sat Andie down on the back of the couch to take off her winter jacket.

"So…" The boy attempted to break the silence, "Are you and Marti siblings?"

………

**Please Review. And don't worry things will pick up real soon. There's a lot more in store for the whole Venturi-Macdonald family.**

**Let me know if this is worth continuing… Believe me, you'll never guess what they're fighting about. **

**And don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Derek. It's going to be a very interesting Christmas, even though I'm writing this in May.**

**Alright so I'm not sure if I'm going to end most of my chapter this way, this is actually a break-up of a full chapter but I don't know if I want each chapter to end with them going to sleep and the next to start with them waking up. We'll see. Please let me know what you think.**

**-Kelly**


	2. 2

**Thanks to everyone that's giving this a chance, and I apologize that my stories tend to start slow. I'm just gaining momentum though so stick with me please.**

**I do not own Life with Derek.**

………

"So…" The boy attempted to break the silence, "Are you and Marti siblings?" He asked, looking up at the older woman kindly. He was smooth, reminiscent of Derek almost. Andie began to giggle, making Marti and Casey smile.

Marti squirmed a little on the couch, drawing Travis' attention back to her. "Uh, well, I wouldn't say siblings. Casey's sorta my step-sister-"

"Slash sister-in-law." Casey finished. She threw her and Andie's jackets onto the pile that consisted of the rest of their belongings. Marti's eyes followed the path of the jackets before looking back at Casey.

"Derek rubbing off on you? You're a mess," Marti stated smartly. Casey promptly ignored her, pouring her focus completely on her giggling little girl.

Marti was now a sophomore in high school and although she was much older, she really hadn't changed that much. She was thin, and her brown hair still fell to about her shoulders. She let her bangs grow out a little but to all different lengths around her face. She was incredibly smart and imaginative, but in that good old Venturi way. She made good grades because she had realized the minimum amount of work it required to achieve them. So, essentially she was a slacker with good grades. Luckily, she did eventually stop eating under the table.

"Wait, wait. I'm still confused. How are you two related?" Travis asked, obviously not the brightest in his class, which only served to further suggest similarities between him and Derek.

Marti shifted her weight on the couch again, really concentrating on how to make the dim-wit understand. "Okay, this is Casey, my step-sister. Her mom married my Dad. Alright, you know Derek, my older brother? The one I was talking about yesterday? Casey and Derek got married and this is their daughter Andie. Got it?" Marti spoke slowly as if it would help the poor boy understand any better. He stared blankly at her before nodding slowly.

"Well I'm not going to take any more of your date time," Casey stated distractedly. "Is my Mom home?"

"Uh, yeah, she's downstairs in her room. Oh, Lizzie and Edwin are in town too, they just got in yesterday," Marti said looking toward the stairway.

"They did? Are they home right now, where are they?" Casey asked as she joggled Andie back onto her hip and placed a hand to her protruding stomach.

"Upstairs. I haven't seen them since dinner," Marti stated hurriedly. She really wanted Casey to just leave. It's not as if she didn't like Casey, actually over the years she had really loved having her around. Especially when her and Derek moved in together, they spent a lot of time with each other and grew pretty close. This was only her second date with Travis though, and the last thing she needed right now was to have Casey butting in unexpectedly like this.

"Well, alright, it was nice meeting you Travis. See ya Marti," Casey said, her back turned to the two as she made her way toward the kitchen.

She lightly set Andie down on the counter and opened the door leading down stairs to yell for her mother, stating that she was there.

"Casey?" Nora yelled from the bottom of the stairs. She looked up and climbed the stairs by two toward her daughter. "You're early. Where's Derek?"

"We got in an argument," Casey said crossing her arms in an attempt to show her discontent.

Nora looked at her daughter knowingly. She clearly wasn't surprised.

"Grandma, gimme some juice." The young girl asked, well demanded, pointing a strong steady finger at the apple juice container.

"Andie, ask nicely." Casey admonished. Her smile turned stern.

Andie glanced up at her mother with questioning eyes that looked as if to say, 'I'll do it if I have to, but I won't like it'. Finally, she turned her attention back to Nora and seemed to give in, "please?"

"Good enough for me." Nora stated. She smiled at her grand-daughter while pouring her juice into a small green lidded sipping cup.

"No, it's not…" Casey started but seemed to give up half-way through. "She's too much like her father." Casey sighed.

Nora laughed and handed Andie her drink. "Have you seen Edwin and Lizzie yet?" Nora casually changed the subject.

Casey leaned on the counter for support, one hand involuntarily going to support her aching back. She winced a little before speaking, "no, I'll go say hi in a bit. I'm not quite up to those stairs right this moment".

"At least you're in less pain than you were with An."

Casey exhaled deeply, remembering her previous pregnancy and that last trimester. "Oh, I haven't told you yet. So, Derek caved. He just had to know if we were having a boy or a girl. I on the other hand still wanted it to be a surprise". Casey said as she shifted her weight uneasily.

Nora laughed lightly. "And? Knowing you two, there's got to be more to this." She said before placing her empty cup down and moving over to the squirming three year old to pick her up.

"Well, I think Derek got some amusement out of the fact that he knew something I didn't. Anyway, let's just say I now know the gender of my baby. Take a guess at how long the idiot lasted." Casey said jokingly, apparently having had time to cool off since the accidental exposure of her unborn child's sex.

Nora looked thoughtful for a moment, then stated, "I don't know. A week?"

Casey smiled at this.

"Put me down for four days." George said quickly as he entered the room from the stairway leading from the basement. He casually walked over to greet Casey with a light hug.

"I'll bet a day." Marti yelled from the living room.

Casey's smile only grew. "Two hours. We'd barely made it home before he slipped up."

George and Nora exchanged looks and laughed. "That's Derek for you." George said while taking Andie from his wife. If anyone loved being a grandparent it was definitely George. He spoiled Andie immensely. Even Derek had to tell him to lay off a bit.

"So? Is it a boy or a girl?" Nora asked excitedly. George simply looked up from the giggling little girl in his arms, awaiting Casey's response.

"Another little girl." Casey stated proudly. "Presumably this one's going to be a little daddy's girl too." She said holding her round stomach.

Despite her anger, Casey seemed to have a whisper of a smile at the mention of her daughter's attachment to Derek. Even when they were younger she could tell that Derek was going to be a great father, and he was. Now as a husband- well Casey knew full well what she as getting into when she decided to marry Derek. She knew that it'd be hard and that they'd still have their spats but she also knew that she didn't want to marry someone easy, someone who would cater to her every need. She wanted- no needed- someone who could challenge her in all aspects of her life. Not to mention the fact that she fell in love.

"Casey? Is that you?"

"You can't miss her. She's the size of a house." Marti added from her spot on their old couch. Casey glared in her direction before enveloping her younger sister in a long overdue hug.

"Hey, Lizzie. Edwin." Casey looked over and grabbed Edwin to give him a hug as well.

"Let me get you guys something warm to drink." Nora said cheerfully, whirling around to grab a few mugs. Everyone thanked her as she set to work.

Edwin moved over to where George was tickling Andie. Andie got really excited at the site of her uncle. She held her arms out toward him while screaming happily.

"So Lizzie, how have you two been?" Casey asked now having to move both hands to support the unnatural arch of her back. She'd already decided that she had been on her feet long enough that day.

"Oh, we've been fi-"

"Marti! Can you bring me a chair from the table?" Casey bellowed into the next room, her face contorting slightly from the pain that had engulfed her whole body. Lizzie was taken aback by the outburst, however the look on her sister's face quickly dissolved her confusion into pity.

"Yes, oh incredibly pregnant one." Marti seethed, standing up and begrudgingly bringing her a chair. A few years ago the island in the middle of their kitchen was given matching bar stools, but due to the upcoming Christmas party, Nora had decided to repaint them; herself. This meant that they wouldn't be done until the last moment, due to her frustratingly busy schedule and the time restraint that ensued.

"Marti, you haven't introduced us to your friend." Edwin stated with mild annoyance that he didn't even make an effort to hide.

Both Edwin and Derek were very protective and not just with Marti but understandably with the Macdonald girls as well. However, Edwin didn't border possessive like Derek did. This eventually led to many fights between him and Casey. Of course, it makes sense that strong-willed Casey Macdonald would be one of the last people to accept any form of 'being owned'.

"Yeah, Marti, bring Travis in here to meet the whole family." Nora stated pointedly. She finished making their hot chocolates and began to pass them around to everyone.

Marti stared at her defiantly, which soon turned into an expression of pleading. However, before she could beg her step-mother to not make him meet everyone- for fear that they'd scare him away- Travis appeared at her side.

"You have a big family Marti. I'm jealous, I'm an only child." Travis said with a smile. Marti just stared at him.

"Yeah, so, you already met Casey and Andie. That over there is one of my brothers, Edwin and this is my other step-sister, Lizzie." Marti said while pointing to the members of her family. At the mention of her name, Lizzie looked up from her short conversation with Casey to give him a quick wave and a 'nice to meet you'.

"Everyone this is Travis." Marti stated with a sigh. Edwin gave Andie the quarter he had 'magically' pulled out of her hair and moved over to where Marti and her boyfriend were standing. Edwin eyed the boy briefly and then put his hand out. They awkwardly shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you, uh Edwin." The boy stammered slightly and Edwin smiled as he realized that this boy wasn't much of a threat.

Edwin turned to Lizzie and gave her a quick peck on the lips, one hand placed lightly on her middle back. "You coming up soon?"

"So early? Yeah, I guess I'll be up in a few." Lizzie said lifting herself up on her tip-toes to give him another quick kiss.

"Alright. Good night everyone." Edwin directed the last part to the rest of the room, and with a quick wave, he left the kitchen.

"Wait a minute." George said looking at his watch. "Travis, shouldn't you have left an hour ago?" George picked Andie back up and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked disapprovingly at Marti.

Nora seemed to be in a good mood and in an effort to not break her high spirits she ushered the two toward the living room. "I'll drive you home. Travis, don't your parents mind that you spend so much time over here, especially being an only child?" Nora asked as she continued to move them toward the door.

"No, they prefer to have me out of the house. They tell me to go out." Travis stated, grabbing his coat. Nora looked at him quizzically but let it go.

Casey watched the three go and sipped slowly from her mug.

"So, have you two thought of names for her?" Lizzie asked. The question made Casey turn to look back up at her sister.

"Well, we already had a few even before we knew the gender."

"Let me guess, you guys didn't have to even think about girls names." Lizzie asked while laughing lightly.

"Well, you know how Derek is. He wants sons, but you know what I've realized? I think he's happier with daughters. It's just hard for him because he just doesn't want Andie to grow up. He doesn't want any other men in her life." Casey stated slowly, while she analyzed her husband.

"Yeah, I can see that. You know what dad says: 'The way you treat women early in life determines the number –if any- of sons you have. The more the guy messed around, lied, and womanized, the more daughters he'll have.'" Lizzie said. They both laughed at the small bit of philosophy their father used to convince them was truth.

"Well, it's going to be awhile 'til Derek gets a son then." Casey said laughingly.

"If that's true then George, you must have been quite the gentleman in high school." Lizzie stated, looking over at her step-dad.

"Actually, I guess you could say that. I dated Sharon Vaughn , the most popular girl in school through most of high school. It was her who didn't stay faithful." George said looking up in remembrance. He shook off the old memories and gave his full attention back to the little girl who was still talking rather animatedly about something; having not noticed the lack of a listening audience.

Casey looked over at George with a pleading look. "George would you mind taking Andie up to get ready for bed? Casey asked, looking utterly desperate and exhausted.

George gave a short chuckle at her way of asking for a favor. "Of course I will. Come on little lady." George said whirling Andie around. He stopped though, realizing that it was already going to take awhile to get the young girl down for bed.

Casey smiled and watched the two leave.

"Yeah, well we have a few names picked out that would suit a boy or a girl." Casey said in an effort to get back to their prior conversation.

"I still can't believe that you gave into him on the name thing. I mean you've had so many picked out since you were like, 13." Lizzie said.

"I never would have though I'd ever end up with Derek either. Besides, I'm just glad he's taken an interest in this." Casey stated. She smiled while looking down at her almost empty mug almost bashfully.

"I see what- oh, you never told me what happened tonight." Lizzie said looking up quickly at Casey. She took one last long sip of her hot chocolate and placed the mug onto the table.

"Oh, he's so infuriating! When is he going to realize what the important things in life are? Well, we argued, of course, and I left."

"So, it was a big argument?" Lizzie asked curiously. Casey just nodded her head solemnly.

"And I may have to wait forever for an apology but I'm just not backing down this time." Casey stated with a grave, strong expression. "Anyway, I'm exhausted. Let's get to bed. I hope Andie has calmed down a bit." Casey said, apparently having had a complete change of disposition.

………

Casey woke with a start. She was fully awake the moment that Andie begun jumping on her bed. She looked around in an effort to place her surroundings. Upon seeing Derek's old room just as it had been years ago, she realized where she was and what had happened yesterday.

"Wake up mommy." Andie said excitedly, plopping down next to her mother in bed. The little girl snuggled up next to Casey. "I'm hungry."

Casey looked down at her daughter and the smiled at the endearing gesture. She took a glance at the clock on the bedside table and sighed at the bright digital numbers that signified just how early it was.

Her smile grew when Andie slowly wrapped her small arms around her bulging stomach. Since the moment Casey had begun to show Andie had been fascinated by her growing stomach. The young girl certainly knew how to push her buttons, a trait she unfortunately learned from her father. However, she always knew –whether she actually meant to or not- how to get back on Casey's good side, another trait of her father's.

Casey gave her daughter a quick kiss on the top of her head and unwrapped herself from Andie's embrace. She sighed and tiredly stumbled over to put her fuzzy pink robe on.

"And what would you like to eat this morning?" Casey asked before returning to the bed to pick the little girl up.

"Pamcakes!" Andie yelled. Her mispronunciation put a smile back on Casey's exhausted face.

The two made their way into the hallway, shutting the bedroom door quietly so as not to wake anyone. From the hallway they heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs from the attic.

"Uncle Edwin!" Andie shrieked with unyielding enthusiasm

Edwin stopped in his tracks and put a finger to his lips to shush his excited niece. Andie smiled and put a small round finger to her lips as well, imitating him happily.

Casey stared at the nicely dressed form at the bottom of the stairs in confusion. "What are you doing up this early?" Casey asked. She continued her path toward the stairs leading to the living room.

Casey's slowed pace spoke of just how far along her pregnancy was. Edwin moved swiftly past them on the steps in an obvious hurry. "Nothing, I have to go do something." Edwin stated cryptically while he gathered his coat.

………

**Please Review. Next chapter has a few surprise visits so don't worry this is going to pick up.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it. I really appreciate any comments you have regarding my work and I will definitely reply to any and all reviews.**

**-Kelly**


	3. 3

**Thank you to everyone that has given this story a chance and have stuck with me so far. **

**Sorry this update is so short, I'm swamped with school right now. It may be another week until my next update, sorry. I have so much due this week and well this weekend is a huge party weekend and when you go to one of the biggest party schools in the US, you don't pass these up. Sorry, I'm getting off topic. Please enjoy and review.**

**I do not own Life with Derek or Looney Tunes.**

………

"Nothing, I have to go do something." Edwin stated cryptically while he gathered his coat.

Casey placed a squirming Andie into her father's favorite chair. She quirked an eyebrow, sending Edwin a questioning look. The hand resting on her hip gave her an air of serious wonderment.

Edwin adjusted his coat and looked back at her with the same amused seriousness. "What? I'm going to be late." He stated as he headed hastily toward the front door.

Casey just stared at him, and did nothing more. She sighed, turned cartoons on for Andie, and went to make breakfast.

The rest of the morning passed slowly and it wasn't until later in the morning that everyone began to wake. Casey supposed that since it was a Friday and everyone was on vacation that sleeping in should be expected. She just wished she could have as well. She exhaled slowly, acknowledging the fact that she usually got more sleep on days like this, which was primarily due to the fact that Derek always got up early to watch cartoons with Andie and let Casey sleep. Her expression became very serene, almost at ease at the thought of Derek kissing her forehead and telling her to go back to sleep and that he'd take care of Andie.

"You look happy this morning." Casey looked up suddenly at the sound of her sister's voice. Edwin was trailing behind her. She was startled at the sight of him because she hadn't seen him come home. She watched as he put a finger to his lips and waved his other hand in a 'don't mention anything about this morning' motion.

Casey blinked a few times, quickly realizing what Edwin was trying to communicate to her. "Oh-uh, happy?" Casey fidgeted a little. "I made pancakes this morning. They're in the fridge they just need to be reheated." Casey stated in an attempt to regain her composure.

"Thanks, that sounds great." Lizzie said while moving toward the fridge.

The door bell rang unexpectedly, which made everyone's eyes dart toward the other room. They slowly looked back at each other in a more mature game of 'not it'.

"I'll get it." Casey stated agitatedly. Before leaving the room she smiled knowingly at Edwin then made her way toward the door. Edwin pretended not to notice the look.

Half-way to the door, a loud banging noise could be heard from the stairs. Casey stopped abruptly to narrowly miss Marti knocking into her while she flew toward the door.

"I got it!" Marti yelled as she reached for the knob.

Casey looked a little shocked standing there holding her stomach in an effort to calm her racing heart. "Apparently." Casey uttered sarcastically.

"Hey Travis." Marti said expectantly before pulling him inside.

Casey moved Andie onto her tiny lap and relaxed into Derek's chair. She calmly looked over toward the boy standing in the doorway. "Hey Travis, back already?" She asked kindly.

"Oh, hi… Casey." The teenager said doubting whether he'd had remember her name correctly or not. He looked a little uneasy so Casey gave him a slow nod to reassure him.

"Come, sit down you two." Casey said while pointing toward the couch. "Unless you're hungry. There are pancakes in the kitchen."

Travis almost looked as if he was going to take her up on the pancake offer. However, before he could speak Marti shook her head forcefully and pulled him toward the stairs. "We were just leaving." Marti stated quickly.

Edwin nearly jumped into the living room. He was looking quite upset. "No way Marti. Just because Dad and Nora are out doesn't mean you can bring your boyfriend to your room." He stood defiantly in front of the kitchen.

"Fine." Marti stated, feeling almost as if his words were an attack. She always thought her older brothers were too protective of her. She felt as if they didn't think she could take care of herself. There was nothing Marti hated more than the feeling of independence being ripped from her grasp.

The two plopped down onto the couch. Travis gave Marti a pleading look. "Go eat." She said shooing him away with the flick of a wrist in an uncaring fashion. She was obviously pissed. Marti looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen. Her expression was one of anger, but also of defeat.

"It'll be okay Marti. If you want, I'll let you take Andie up to your room to play." Casey said mockingly. Marti crossed her arms over her chest and sent Casey a piercing glare.

Everyone's attention was brought suddenly to the door once again as it swung open.

"Daddy!" Andie shouted, jumping up from her mother's lap. She almost knocked a lamp over while she scrambled toward the door. She made a running leap into Derek's arms.

Casey huffed and looked away. Marti laughed hysterically at Casey's disgruntled expression and the sudden turn of events. She attempted to disregard Marti's laughter and got up angrily from her seat. She promptly ignored Derek and made her way to the kitchen, hoping for what she currently considered to be better company.

Derek watched her go but he stood defiantly in his place. "Daddy, I want to watch cartoons." Andie exclaimed while dragging him to the couch.

"Andie we've been watching cartoons. Let's watch something else." Marti said gesturing toward the television set.

"No we haven't. I want cartoons!" Andie stated firmly. The young girl scooted closer to Derek and looked up at him happily, she seemed to be in utter bliss.

"She means these cartoons." Derek explained and held up a tape labeled 'Looney Tunes'. Derek stood and put the tape into the VCR. He backpedaled to the couch and pulled Andie onto his lap. She clapped excitedly as the screen began to play the familiar images.

In the kitchen, Casey couldn't stop taking ambiguously suspicious peeks toward the three seated on the couch.

"Just put it in the basket. I've got to do laundry today anyway. Once Mom and George get back I'm going out with my Mom to run errands. I'll do it after that." Lizzie said to Edwin. Travis listened, seemingly interested in their talk of such menial things while they ate.

Casey distractedly took a bite off of Edwin's plate. He didn't seem to notice.

"Is that Looney Tunes?" Travis asked excitedly, like a child with a new toy. He watched the television from over his shoulder and stood eagerly. He looked down at his plate, wondering what to do with it. Casey just smiled and took it over to the sink for him. She held her stomach and winced. The baby had been kicking even more frequently lately, she tried not to show it though.

When Casey turned around again she caught a glimpse of Travis jumping into Derek's chair. She shook her head and thought about how that wasn't exactly the best move Marti's newest boyfriend could have made. She took a deep breath and quickly joined in on Lizzie and Edwin's conversation.

Derek stared at the boy that jumped so unceremoniously into his chair. Travis however, was oblivious to anything and everything that didn't involve either a pig that stuttered or a coyote running head-long into a cliff-face.

Marti noticed though and was anticipating any remarks Derek may have. "Ah, Travis, how about you come over and sit next to me?" Marti asked anxiously. She smiled nervously at Derek when he turned his attention to her.

"I'm fine here." Travis stated around a fit of laughter.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Derek asked vehemently. He never took his eyes off the kid, even when Marti spoke for him.

"Derek, this is Travis. He's my boyfriend. Travis- Travis look at me." Upon getting his attention she continued, "This is my brother Derek".

"Oh, you're Derek. I met your wife last night." The boy stated in a friendly manner. His smile dropped from his face however with one look at Derek's blank expression directed at him.

After a few short moments, Derek's gaze left the boy's face. Travis breathed a sigh of relief. Derek looked down at Andie who was entranced with her cartoons. "I need to go shovel the walkway. I'll be back soon sweetie." He said kissing her cheek then the crown of her head.

"Okay." Andie said. She looked up at him and he neatly moved her off of his lap. The young girl smiled at her father then resumed watching the television.

He stood up and stretched leisurely. Travis immediately froze when he was met with a fierce look from Derek. He visibly gulped.

"Come on Travis. Let's get to know one another." Derek stated while grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him from _his_ seat. Travis stood obediently and sent a panicked look at Marti who was still seated on the couch.

"Don't hurt this one Derek." Marti said with calm sarcasm. She smiled and moved over to wrap an arm around her niece.

………

**I don't want anyone to think that my interpretation of an older Marti is snobby or too sarcastic (there's a reason for this). So far, Marti has only been seen when her boyfriend is around. Much more Marti later, since well, I love Marti.**

**Please review, I've loved everyone's comments so far.**


	4. 4

**Hey sorry it took me so long, I've been swamped. Anyway I hope you enjoy my continuation and a little tribute to Brian because I'm going into things I initially wasn't. He's right though, it's made this piece stronger.**

**I do not own Life with Derek.**

………

"Don't hurt this one Derek." Marti said with calm sarcasm. She smiled and moved over to wrap an arm around her niece.

From the kitchen Casey watched Derek drag the poor boy toward the harsh outdoors. She almost laughed outright, however residual anger kept her from doing so.

Casey felt a little lost. She listened to snippets of a conversation between Lizzie and Edwin who were seated on the newly painted bar stools which were finished, to Casey's amazement. She figured Nora had completed painting them the night before, after everyone had gone to bed.

"That's just ridiculous." She heard Lizzie say but she didn't know what she was referring to.

Casey looked out into the living room. Nora's most recent window treatments were drawn elegantly open. Casey's mind began to drift as did her swollen legs. They carried her subconsciously into the next room and she stared out the window dazedly. The snow was dancing languidly to the ground. Big, thick flakes ate away at the gray that enveloped the sky. The gray that enveloped her mood.

Casey stood, enraptured with the snow as she thought back.

It was the summer after their senior year. Casey and Derek fought more than ever before. However, their fights didn't have that playful feeling they used to any longer. If they weren't fighting they simply weren't speaking. Neither were quite sure what had changed but tensions were certainly higher.

Independently, they had both decided that avoiding each other was the best course and their parents enjoyed the peace for awhile. They kept away from the house as often as possible until George and Nora demanded that they play a more active role in their family member's lives.

It was still early in the summer when the family was all seated together for dinner.

"So, Dad can I stay with Mac tonight?" Derek asked around a large bite of food.

George sighed, "Derek, you've slept out nearly every night this week. I think you should take this weekend off and spend some time with the family. It won't be too long until you're off at college."

"Exactly. Mac is going to Alberta and Sam is going to Toronto. I won't see them again 'til break." Derek argued. He tried to hide his smile, knowing that he had a winning defense.

"You do have a point Derek but you can't just disregard your family. Besides, remember you only got a _partial_ scholarship." George rebounded nicely with the ever useful argument: 'we're paying your college tuition'.

Derek bowed his head in defeat. It was true that he only had a partial scholarship for hockey. It wasn't at his number one school but he had to take what he could get. The last place he wanted to be was in that house with the last person he wanted to deal with.

The aforementioned person set her fork down gently and turned to her mother. "So, I spoke to the Western people today. Everything has been cleared up. Now, you're still sure that Brown isn't an option?" Casey asked pleadingly, yet still knowing invariably what her mother's answer was going to be.

Nora frowned but seemed firm with her decision. "I'm sorry Case but funds are just too low. Besides you have a full scholarship at Western." Nora stated firmly.

Derek had been ignoring the conversation -as he did most of the time Casey spoke- but something caught his attention this time. "Western what?" Derek asked dropping his fork which crashed to his plate with an annoyingly loud clang that set the whole room on edge.

Casey disregarded his question, figuring that he just wanted attention. George let out a long steady breath. He'd been anticipating this day. However he hadn't been excited about the prospect of it.

"The- uh, University of Western Ontario. The same as you." George said already wincing at the impending outbursts.

"Wait a minute- what?!" Casey yelled. Derek stared off stunned and unblinking. They looked each other in the eye for the first time in months due to their constant tip-toeing around the other. The two of them stared across the table in silence. They felt incredibly stupid. How could they have not known what college the other planned to go to?

The room remained silent until Nora cleared her throat which made Casey blink a few times and look down at her plate. Derek's gaze remained however. She could feel his eyes and she clandestinely looked up at Derek again, but the moment he caught her glance he quickly brought his attention to something else.

"It's a big campus; you won't even know the other is there." Nora stated in an attempt to calm the storm. Casey shot her an angry look. Apparently, she did not want to be soothed when she was so obviously outraged.

"You're kidding right?" Derek asked his father incredulously. For some reason he didn't seem nearly as angry as Casey which made her even more furious.

"This is ridiculous." Casey said. She stood abruptly, banging both palms down on the table beside her plate forcefully. Their younger siblings glanced wearily at each other. They knew this was a long time coming. However, they only had the means to calculate a minute fraction of the intensity of their reactions.

Casey's shoulders tensed, she couldn't believe this was happening. The moment that she thought she'd be far away from him, that she wouldn't have to deal with him any longer she finds out that she was incredibly wrong.

As previously mentioned, the past year had been especially bad between them. Fighting increased and when everyone had finally had enough they simply just lived as if the other wasn't there. They thought of this reaction to be a much more mature one however, the fact that they let their problems be ignored was actually quite juvenile. Casey looked at college as a reprieve from her currently tense lifestyle but that didn't seem to be the case any longer.

"This- this is ridiculous." Casey repeated. She was at a loss for words. Derek just stared in awe at her. Certainly he was surprised but he still wasn't sure exactly how he should react to the news. He watched as Casey huffed and stormed from the room.

Casey was brought back from reflecting with the sound of her daughter's musical laughter. She let the warm feeling wash over her.

She moved slowly over to her husband's chair and seated herself. For some reason she couldn't focus on the television set. Instead her eyes kept drifting to the now lightly falling show.

It snowed like this that day too.

It was months before the snow when Derek and Casey left for school. They said their good-byes to their family and left in separate vehicles packed with any and all amenities of home. They planned to not have to deal with each other until Christmas vacation when they would both go home. However, again due to a complete lack of communication, that could never have been the case.

Casey settled nicely into her new single dorm room. She was duly prepared for her first class having already read sections from the required text. She woke up two hours before her first collegiate course. She wanted to look good for her first day so she made sure her make-up looked nice and her still long straight hair was neatly brushed before leaving.

Casey looked down at her schedule for the fifth time while she made her way to the correct room and for the fifth time she had the time and location correct.

She took a deep breath outside of the double doors. Reaching out she pulled the door open and entered the large room.

Casey gasped at the size of the lecture hall. It looked like it was able to hold at least 500 students. She was a little early so the seats were only about half-way filled. It was a little overwhelming so she found a seat in the center toward the end of the row. She decided that she would start sitting in the front tomorrow.

Students quickly filled the seats. She gathered herself and got her notebook ready for the lecture.

The professor entered and wrote the words 'Psychology 101. Silence all cell phones' on the board. Casey nearly slapped herself, realizing that she'd forgotten to quiet her phone. Casey bent low over her chair, her hair cascading over her shoulders and irritatingly into her face. She felt the connected chairs around her lurch with the weight of whoever was seated next to her while she searched through her purse.

"Hey there. Is it just me or does it seem like we got father time as a professor?"

Casey stopped sifting through her bag and froze. The voice was so easily recognizable. She just didn't know how to react.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt… whatever it was you were doing. Anyway, I was wondering if I could get your number- you know, for studying purposes." Casey's mouth flew open but she couldn't get herself to sit up, to expose herself. She instead continued to look for her phone. When she finally did she slowly sat up. She saw him stiffen from the corner of her eye. She was so confused, so she resulted to the only emotion she knew she could handle, anger.

She turned on him quickly, startling Derek. Casey held her phone up. "You already have my number Derek. It's the first day of class and you're already trying to pick up girls?" Casey asked forcefully.

Derek back away from her and looked around frantically for an open seat. Unfortunately, it was the first day of class and all –well most- were present. There certainly weren't any open seats near him and the professor and his assistants were already beginning to hand out the syllabus. He was stuck. So he resorted to the only method _he_ knew.

"Well, I guess I'm four for four so far then." Derek said snidely. He gave her a sly grin. She sneered at him and took the papers from the blond girl next to her. She separated the required pages for herself and shoved the rest of the pile into Derek's chest.

"Real funny. I'm glad I could contribute to such a small personal victory." Casey stated fervently. She straightened up the items on her desk. "You're pathetic".

"Says you." Derek retaliated.

Casey whipped around to shoot him a piercing glare. "Don't you dare think you'll be sitting next to me tomorrow. I don't even want to see your face for the rest of the semester, regardless of whether we have a class together or not." Casey seethed, all the while watching the professor begin to go over what was to be expected in the class.

"Heard you loud and clear. You are definitely the last person I wanted to see on the first day." Derek said lowering his voice.

"Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean even a 100-level class is too difficult for someone like you. I give you a week before you drop it." Casey said smartly. She should have stopped talking to him awhile ago but something kept her from shutting up and letting it go.

Derek scoffed at her insult.

"Excuse me?" The professor raised his voice and looked at the two. "Yes, you two." Casey gawked at the fact that he was gesturing toward her and Derek and that every student in the large room was now staring at them. "I don't have time for lover's spats. This is your first and last warning." The professor turned, clearly not caring whether either had anything to say for themselves.

Casey felt her face heat up, but when she looked around again it was as if everyone had forgotten it had happened. Even Derek didn't really seem fazed by what had occurred and he was listening adamantly to the course overview.

At the end of class they each went their separate ways.

However, despite her ranting Casey always entered the lecture hall the same way. She couldn't explain it and often didn't even want to acknowledge the fact that she always surreptitiously looked for him on her way to her usual first row seat.

Something about their last meeting reminded her of when she first moved into the Venturi household and before things had changed.

When the snow did fall much later in the semester, things were never going to be the same.

Coming out of her reverie Casey watched the television, finally able to concentrate on the images her daughter loved so dearly. She looked around at the sound of George and Nora coming in through the back door.

"Casey, do you want to come with Mom and me to run errands for tomorrow?" Lizzie asked from the kitchen.

Casey looked at Andie then toward the front door. "Definitely".

Outside, within the snow and the gray, Derek and Travis were slowly and tensely working with each other.

………

**I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my flashbacks, I was going to italicize those pieces but I'm kinda in love with the past-tense and am too lazy to go back and change it.**

**The next update will definitely be sooner, it won't take as long as this one did to get online. Oh, and sorry that I didn't have time to go into Derek and Travis, that part isn't nearly ready to be posted. I really hope you enjoyed reading so far. **

**Let me know what you think, like if you like their back-story so far or not. There is more of that to come. I've loved the feedback so far. Thanks.**

**-Kelly**


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